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H. W. MASON & P. CUNNINGHAM.

MOUNTING BOAT GUNS.

No. 269,080. Patented Dec. 12, 1882.

EST AVAlLABLE COF UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. MASON AND PATRICK CUNNINGHAM, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASS.

MOUNTlNG BOAT-GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,080, dated December12, 1882. Application filed January 12, 1880.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that we, HENRY \V. MASON and PATRICK CUNNINGHAM, of NewBedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Taking hales, ofwhich the following is specification.

Guns have been constructed for the purpose of firing a harpoon into awhale from a distance; but when such guns are of sutficient weight tothrow aharpoon asufficieut distance the recoil of the gun is so great asto seriously injure the boat, and make it extremely dangerous to thelife of the man who fired it. Explosive harpoons have been made to befired from a shoulder-gun; but they have of necessity been made so small(on account of the recoil being so great in firing a heavier projectile)that the killing of a whale could not be assured.

The object of this invention is to provide a gun which can be used inkilling whales from asafe distance, and also be easily and safely usedwithout the least injury to the boat or danger to the person using it.

This invention consists in the particular construction of a gun withwhich to fire the harpoon and bomb; also in the arrangement of the gunon its pivot, in connection with springs of suitable material, and theuse of springs at the points of contact of the pivot and its supports,whereby the effects of the recoil of the gun on the boat are obviated.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referenceindicate like parts, Figure 1 is a perspective of the gun mounted in thebow of a whale-boat, ready for use. Fig.2 is a top view of the gun G andthe casting 0, and also showing a horizontal longitudinal section of theleft-hand trunnion and spring. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the box E.

In the clumsy cleat B of the boat Ais fixed thebox E, the constructionof which will readily be seen by reference to Fig. 3, in which the partse and fare of metal, and d is of rubber or other elastic substance, fora purpose hereinafter mentioned. Through the box E the pivot or standardD passes and extends to D, where it enters a hole in the floor of theboat. To the top of the pivot D is afiixed the casting 0, in whichcasting is hung by its trunnions the gun G.

The construction of the casting G and the manner of hanging the gun Gwill readily be seen by reference to Fig. 2, in which is shown a.sectional view of the left-hand trunnion and spring.

I) b are the trunnions, which are secured into the sides of the gun Gr,the gun being supported by them on the slides 66 a, said slides passingthrough perforations made for the purpose in the outer ends of thetrunnions.

To the rear of the trunnions, and around the slides a a, are placed thesprings d d, of rubher or other suitable material, for apurposehereinafter mentioned.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The breech-block ofthe gunG is opened, a cart-rid ge inserted, and th e breech-block closed. Theharpoon H, with line attached, is then loaded into the muzzle of the gunand crowded home. The gun is then fired. -As the harpoon, which we shallconstruct as a bomb lance or harpoon, leaves the gun, a lanyard, whichwill be attached to the wire of the bombprimer and to the gun, will drawthe wire from theprimer, (thus lighting the fuse of the bomb,) so that afew moments after the harpoon enters the whale the shell, being filledwith powder, explodes, driving the shank of the harpoon a short distanceto the rear, when the points of the rings h catch in the flesh and open,thus killing and fastening to the whale at the same time. hen the gun isfired the force of the recoil is caught on the cushions or springs d d,as shown in Fig. 2, and partially by the cushion or spring in box IE,thus converting the sudden blow of a recoil into a push. By the use ofthese cushions or springs the boat is entirely relieved from danger ofinjury from the recoil, as is also the person firing the gun.

By the use of a cartridge the operation of loading is performed soquickly that sometimes a. number of whales can be killed before they getout of reach.

We are aware that it is old, broadly, to employ, in connection with thetrunnions ofa gun, elastic cushions or springs arranged iu rcar of saidtrunnions, and to support the gun upon an upright stud or short postarranged between springs.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- KEST AVASLABLECOP In a boat, the combination, with its clumsy b fitted to slide uponthe rods ain front of the bar B, having the box E, with an elasticeushsprings d, substantially as described. ion or spring, d, arrangedbetween its two HENRY W MASOY parts and one of said parts adapted toslide w T at one end upon the other of the standard D, 1 ATRIOKQUNLINGHABF having the casting or box 0, provided with I Witnesses:

rods (1, upon which are arranged elastic cush- \VALTER CLIFFORD, ions orspringsd,and a gun havingitstrunnions CHARLES W. CLIFFORD.

